CV
Studies
2005 The Architecture of Risk, Doctor of Creative Arts, Communications & Media, University of Technology Sydney
1991 Visual & Cultural Identity, Master of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong, Australia
1987 Cultural Studies, School of Architecture, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
1978 B.Ed (Fine Arts) University of South Australia
1972 Theory & Arrangement of Music, NSW Conservatorium, Sydney
Selected Commissions, Awards, Appointments
2019 Commissioned Artist, The Ox Lunar Lantern, City of Sydney
2017 Visiting Artist, The Neon Museum, Las Vegas
2016 Commissioned Artist, Murray Art Museum Albury
Commissioned Artist, Zappos Downtown, Las Vegas
Commissioned Artist, City of Sydney Chinese New Year Lunar Lantern Project
2014-15 Commissioned Artist, University of Chicago (Beijing Center), China
2014 Artist-in-Residence, Australia China Art Foundation, Beijing
Artist-in-Residence, Beijing HGJY Culture Company, Song Zhuang
2008 Australia China Council Research Funding Award
2006-7 Australia China Council Artist-in-Residency in Beijing
2006-8 Member, Board of Directors, Wollongong City Gallery
2005 Winner, 43rd Fisher’s Ghost Open Art Prize, CampbelltownArtsCentre
2004-6 Member, Artist Advisory Group, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
2003 Presenter, Plaything: International Symposium on Digital Games, dLux & Sydney University
1998 Artist-in-Residency, The Long March, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Keynote Speaker, 10th Anniversary Popular Culture Conference, University of Nevada Las Vegas
1997 Artist-in-Residence, 1998 IndyCar, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Jupiters Casino, Surfers Paradise
Presenter, 10th International Conference on Gambling, UNR, Montreal, Canada
1997-04 Director/Founder, Octomat, R & D Multimedia Design in Entertainment (Las Vegas & Sydney)
Art Design Industry Grant, NSW Ministry for the Arts, Australia
Exhibition Development Grant, Museums & Galleries Association of Australia, National Exhibition Touring Scheme Program, Sydney
1996 Chair & Presenter, Objects of Belonging: International Conference in Multicultural Studies, NSW State Library, Sydney, Australia
New Media Representative, Regional Arts Forum, Australia Council National Funding Strategy & Policy, Sydney, Australia
Artist-in-Residence, Sculpture-New Media Department, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
University of Western Sydney Design Research Grant, Australia
Exhibition Grants to Japan: Australia-Japan Foundation, Australia Council, Pat Corrigan Award
1995 University of Western Sydney Design Survey Research: Global Merchandising of The Souvenir
Australia Council Exhibitions Travel Grant to NY & Paris
1993 Artist-in-Residency, Queensland University Art Museum, Australia
Design Drawing Survey, Penrith Museum of Fire, University of Western Sydney Design
1992 Inaugural Project Artist/ Artist-in-Residence, Wollongong City Council, NSW, Australia
Artist-in-Residence, Contemporary Artists Series, Tamworth City Gallery, Australia
1990 Project Artist, Gallery 14 Contemporary Artists Series, Queensland Art Gallery Australia
Artist-in-Residence, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA Australia
Workshops in Drawing, Commissioned by the Queensland State Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
1991 Artist-in-Residence, Faculty of Art History & Theory, Queensland University Art Museum, Australia
Chair, Artists Forum, Australian Perspecta 91, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
1990-3 Visiting Artist Projects: University of Tasmania, Queensland University, Edith Cowan University, Kalgoorlie College, Perth, WA
1990 Artist-in-Residence, AGNSW at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris,France
Artist-in-Residence, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art & Curtin University, Perth, Australia
1980 Winner, Whylla Art Prize, SA
Academic Posts
2018 MFA Examiner, COFA UNSW
2017 Visiting Artist, Nevada State College, Neon Museum, Las Vegas
2011- Adjunct Professor, Centre for Creative Arts, LaTrobe University Melbourne
2006- Adjunct Professor, School of Digital Media, Tianjin Academy of Fine Art, Tianjin, PRC
2003-6 Head, School of Visual Communications, KvB/ Raffles Institute of Technology, Sydney
1998-9 Australian Post Graduate Award, University of Technology Sydney
1997- 07 Member Board of Directors, 4a Asian Australian Art Association, Sydney
1997- 00 Graduate Exhibition Coordinator, UWS Nepean Design, Sydney
1997 Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Environmental Design & Landscape Architecture, UCDavis, USA
Guest Speaker, Department of Cultural Studies Graduate School, University of Melbourne
1995 Pacific Bridges, Conference Presenter & Advisory Board Member, UC Berkeley & UC Davis
Accreditation Advisory VETAB Board Member, KVB Institute of Technology, Sydney
1993 Chair, Culture of Experiment: Multimedia & Video Symposium, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
1992-03 Lecturer, School of Design, University of Western Sydney Nepean, Australia
1987-93 Lecturer in Drawing for Ceramics, Sydney College of the Arts, Australia
1987-91 Lecturer, Creative Arts, University of Wollongong, NSW Australia
1980-3 Head, Department of Art & Craft, Whyalla Community College, South Australia
Selected Projects as Curator
2011 Always on My Mind-home: Australia-Korea Project, Museum of Art Seoul National University, S. Korea
Always on My Mind-home: Australia-Korea Project, GANA Gallery @ Seoul Square, S. Korea
2010-11 Arena-A Post Boom Beijing, Hazelhurst Arts Centre, Sydney, LaTrobe University, Bendigo, James Cook University, Townsville., Queensland
1999-06 www.octomat.com, Project Director, R & D Production, Davis, CA & Las Vegas
1999 octomat, World Gaming Congress & Expo, Las Vegas Convention Center
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney
1995 Just a Memento, Regional Survey Design of Souvenirs, Project Contemporary Art Space, Wollongong, Australia
1995 The Art of Tourism, NSW Tourism Conference, Casula Powerhouse
1994-7 To Remember Buy, Design Innovations in Souvenir Design, University of Western Sydney Nepean, NSWRGA, Casula Powerhouse
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2020 Three Wise Monkeys, Las Vegas City Hall, Sahara West Library, Hollywood Recreation Center, Las Vegas
2017-18 Babalogic in the Desert, Sahara West Library, Las Vegas
2017 Babalogic in the Desert, Clark County Rotunda, Las Vegas
2014-15 Empire Bookends (Red Sky), University of Chicago Beijing Center, PRC (curator Judy Farquhar,
2013 The China Code (Retrospective), Southern Florida College Melvin Gallery, Lakeland, Florida
2012 Babalogic, Feature Artist, Art Asia Miami
ShiWaiTaoYuan (Commission), The Opposite House, Beijing
2011 Happy Toy, Feature Artist, Art Asia Miami
Happy Toy, Tally Beck Contemporary, New York
Happy Toy, Art Atrium, Sydney
2010 Chinese Toy Stories, Red Gate Gallery@ the Opposite House, Beijing
2009 Babalogic, 24HrArt, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
2007 The Depth of Ease, Anniart Gallery, 798 Art Festival, Beijing
2005 Octogene Commission, 10th Anniversary, Capitol Theatre Restoration, Sydney
2000 Daze of Our Lives, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney
1999 Octomat, World Gaming Expo & Congress, Las Vegas
1998 IndyCar Slot, (Artist-in-Residency) Gold Coast Arts Centre, Australia
Profile of a Counter, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
1993 Gallery 14 Contemporary Artists Series, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
1992 Games & Voices, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, Australia
Adapt Enforce IV, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
Adapt Enforce V, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts,
1990 Re-sited References (Retrospective), Queensland University Art Museum
A Craving for Authenticity, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art
Selected Curated Group Exhibitions
2020 Between Two Worlds, Newcastle Art Gallery
2019 Nanjing Paper Biennale, Nanjing, China
Calm Down, Keep Calm: WangXing Garden Residence, Beijing, China
No Waste Form: Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane
2018 48 fRuityspace, Beijing, i-project space, Banqiao Hutong, Beijing
The First Ulaan Bataar International Art Festival, Outer Mongolia
Transcendence, New Art Atrium @ Surry Hills, Sydney
Artists for Guide Dogs Australia Benefit Exhibition, Customs House, Sydney
Plural: New Acquisitions UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Las Vegas
2016 Chinese Characters in Contemporary Art. SongZhuang Da Di Art Centre, Beijing (curator Pan Xinglei)
2015 Second International Zhongshan Art Expo, Guangdong, PRC
Reverse the Perspective, Mebo Culture, Wangjing Soho, Beijing (curator Tang Zehui)
Death, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney (curator Toni Bailey)
2014 Loose Canon, Artbank Collection Exhibition, Waterloo, Sydney (curator: Daniel Mudie Cunningham)
2013 DaBao/ TakeOut, Winnipeg Plug-In ICA, Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver (Canada Tour)
REDvolution, Hong Kong House, Sydney
Snake, Snake, Snake, Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, Sydney Town Hall
X-Field, RMIT Design Research Institute, Melbourne
Arena/China Code, Pinnacles Gallery/ James Cook University, Townsville Qld
ACAF at Four Seasons Hotel, Beijing
2012 ZhongJian/ Midway, China and Australian National Tour
2011 Always on My Mind-home: Australia-Korea Media Project, Seoul National University Museum of Art, Gana Gallery @ Seoul Square, S.Korea
China One World One Home 2011, Qing Tong Museum, Ordos, Inner Mongolia
X-Field: Jumping City, RMIT @ CU Space 798 Beijing
My Australia, Kuandu University Art Museum, Taipeh, Taiwan
2010 Fat Art 2010, Today Art Museum at the Village, Beijing
Dialog IV, Bild Volksbad University of Applied Sciences, Jena, Germany
Asian Landmark, A Toyota Art Project, Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2009 2009 ANZ Australian Film Festival, Sanlitun Village Beijing
Labyrinth III: Dangerous Liaisons, Li Gallery, CaoChangDi, Beijing
Another Silk Road, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia
2008 2D/ 3D Negotiating Visual Languages, PKM Gallery Beijing
Vernacular Terrain 2, IDAp, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
2007-8 Journey/Process, Red Gate Gallery Beijing, Eastlink Shanghai, Hong Kong
2007 Art for Television 1994-98, MAAP ArtRage, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
2005 McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Award Finals, Melbourne, Australia
Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award Finals, Melbourne, Australia
43rd Fisher’s Ghost Winner Open Art Prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia
2004-5 Isle of Refuge, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney, Monash University Art Museum, Australia
2004 Gambling in Australia: Thrills, Spills and Social Ills, Sydney Powerhouse, Australia
1997 Pan Pacifica Multimedia Festival, Groningen, Holland
Lawyers Guns & Money, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide
1996-8 Death: An Insight on Life, Penrith Regional Gallery, Australian National Tour
1994-6 Elvis + Marilyn: 2 x Immortal, Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte,
Baltimore Museum of Art, San Jose Museum of Art, Honolulu Academy of Art, Philbrook Museum of Art Tulsa,
Tennessee State Museum Nashville, Houston Contemporary Art Museum (curator Wendy McDaris, Memphis University).
1991 Australian Perspecta 1991, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
Public Collections
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Artbank Australia
Arts Council of South Australia
Australian Embassy, Beijing, China
Australian Embassy, Paris
Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney
Casula Powerhouse, Sydney
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
Craft Council Northern Territory, Australia
Curtin University of Western Australia
Deakin University, Australia
Galerie Cannibal Pierce, Paris
Griffiths University, Queensland
Hunan Normal University, China
Ipoh Gardens Development Australia
Lanyon House, ACT
LaTrobe University, Australia
Laura Civic Centre, South Australia
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Las Vegas, USA
Modern Sky Indie Music, Beijing, China
Moet & Chandon Foundation, Epernay, France
New Parliament House, ACT, Australia
Orange Regional Gallery, Australia
Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Tasmania
Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
Queensland University Art Museum
Smart Museum, Chicago, USA
South Pacific Forum Collection (National Gallery of Australia)
Tamworth City Gallery, Australia
Ulaan Baatar Art Festival, Mongolia
University of Wollongong, NSW
Wollongong City Gallery, NSW
Exhibition Publications:
Happy Toy,
ed. Laurens Tan, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9871189-1-2, 60 pages
foreword by Tally Beck, essays by Gina Fairley, Judith Farquhar, Gordon Laurin, Norie Neumark, Angela Zito.
Published by the School of Communication, Arts & Critical Enquiry, LaTrobe University, Australia and Tally Beck Contemporary, NY, NY USA
Always on My Mind – home,
ed. Boyoung Jung & Laurens Tan, 2011, ISBN 978-89-97044-02-3 93600, 76 pages
Published by the Seoul National University Museum of Art; Australia Korea Foundation
Arena- A Post Boom Beijing,
First Edition, curator & editor Laurens Tan, 2010, ISBN 9781921437212, 60 pages
Foreword by Michael Rolfe, Director, Hazelhurst Arts Centre, Sydney Australia
Published by the Hazelhurst Arts Centre, Sydney Australia
Arena- A Post Boom Beijing,
Second Edition, curator & editor Laurens Tan, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9871189-0-5, 68 pages
Published by the Centre for Creative Arts, LaTrobe University Melbourne; Hazelhurst Arts Centre Sydney Australia
The Depth of Ease,
ed. Laurens Tan, 2007, essay by Alison Kubler, 30 pages
Sponsored by Red Gate Gallery, Anniart Gallery, Beijing PRC; Australia China Council.
Other previous publication on request.